For many of us, the passing of BB King still leaves a massive gap – he truly had the 3 keys to living a fulfilling and impact-filled life:
– He was a generous soul, self-made and continued to lift everyone around him with his music, advice and example long after he had made it big
– He stayed true to his passion and talent…from the churches he always played music that had feeling never succumbing to over-production or changes in direction he did not believe in
– He worked hard (perhaps the hardest working musician out there) to ensure he could bring his music and positive message to the masses
On this day, BB King would have been 91 and I still miss him and his spirit each day.
Here’s a great retrospective from blues guitar phenom Joe Bonamassa – as he see’s BB King’s influence professionally and personally…
Filed under bb king, blues guitar by on Sep 17th, 2016. Comment. 
It always seemed to me that BB King was larger than life itself.
That perfect note, that deep felt solo, that big smile and that deep growl followed by perfect vibrato in his gifted voice.
The definition of a great musician is when you instantly recognize them no matter what they play – more than anyone else that was true of BB King
He not only set the bar for multiple generations of blues guitar players and blues musicians, but held everyone to a human standard that we need so much in today’s world.
An unconditional love, optimistic view that sets expectations for those who may have been down or trodden to rise up and be the best they can be…and we get that through his music too. Just because he played blues didn’t mean it gave us the blues. In fact, he gave us an outlet through which to FEEL real emotion, to stop and think about things and get back in tune with our heart instead of our head.
Here is one of my favorite BB King tunes…I can’t believe an entire year has gone by since the King of the Blues was silenced – maybe that’s because he still sings and plays on in my head as if he were just around the corner at his favorite juke joint or concert hall.
That sound will carry me through the next year, until we stop and remember the King of the Blues once again…until then, let’s continue to listen and learn from the vast material BB King left us with.
This is “How Blue Can You Get” performed live at Sing Sing Prison in 1972 – all I can say is WOW!
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on May 15th, 2016. Comment.
Local Memphis TV station reports on the incredible local support for BB King’s final return to Memphis –
Stars including Keb Mo, Tony Coleman (BB’s drummer for the last 37 years), Bobby Rush and Rodd Bland (son of late, great Bobby Blue Bland) payed personal tribute to the King of the Blues in a very heartfelt, small town way.
Particularly moving was the return of BB’s Lucille Gibson guitar down Beale Street one final time.
Wonderful tribute indeed. The funeral will be held this Saturday.
Filed under bb king by on May 28th, 2015. Comment.
Until today, we had heard there will be a memorial service for the King Of The Blues held in Las Vegas this weekend (Saturday May 23rd) leaving us to wonder what of the wishes that his funeral take place near where he was born in Mississippi – Indianola.
Thankfully we see the Delta stepping up and welcoming their BB home with what will no doubt be a fitting funeral and celebration of his roots.
According to a report on American Blues Scene Magazine, following the May 23rd memorial in Las Vegas he will be flown to Memphis where on Wed May 27th at around Noon where a procession will flow through Beale Street with a tribute held in a local park.
Then on Friday May 29th there will be an opportunity for his beloved town of Indianola to pay tribute at a public viewing followed by the proper funeral celebration on Saturday May 30th at the Bell Grove MB Church in Indianola.
You can bet that BB’s memory, funeral and burial will be well taken care of – a quote from the long-time official at the museum stated:
From a practical standpoint, we feel comfortable knowing his final resting place will receive perpetual care at the Museum.
This should be a very fitting tribute to a true King – the King of the Blues.
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on May 21st, 2015. Comment.
Fitting tribute to BB King From U2 on what was a brilliant collaboration –
Man, when you miss the BB King monster guitar tone and shredding voice, just isn’t the same – but fitting tribute just the same.
Would have been great if he could have gotten Buddy Guy out to fill in and re-create the magic all over again?
Filed under bb king by on May 17th, 2015. Comment.
There is such a massive legacy of recordings, interviews and performances from the King of the Blues – BB King that although we lost a shining light this past week, we will always be able to remember and rekindle the spirit of the MAN!
I absolutely cherish this performance at Farm Aid because it depicts so much about why BB King was such a terrific artist and performer…
- The first 1:30 he clearly struggles with finding the groove – either his E or B string is out of tune slightly and he hits some sour notes as every performer does, but he plays through it with the passion and determination to get to that special place where a higher power begins to flow through him toward his audience
- He hits that groove around 1:33 with a perfectly placed high note that electrifies the audience – such a terrific example of BB King being every bit the artist, just like Picasso or any genius artist that creates that amazing work, but he would do it night after night after night!
- Starting at 2:13 he shares notes with the horns – another staple of BB King’s amazing sound – where he shows his little-mentioned genius at overall production and orchestration. BB always had a big band with a big sound and that demands tight production – he certainly had that. In fact, it was because he demanded that big band that he had to keep working well into his 80’s – he could have trimmed his band and likely retired on 30-40 bigger dates each year, some collaborations and called it a day. Compromise wasn’t in his mindset however. The same intense persistence that allowed him to escape his poor childhood would continue unrelenting right to has last days.
- Somewhere around the 3:00 minute mark he breaks his E string, and then, not missing a single soulful note he continues to deliver the most important lyrics to the song while re-stringing his Gibson himself…showing once again this guy lets nothing stop him from winning over his audience.
All of this in a 5-minute performance, yes BB King is one of the best live performers of ALL TIME in any music genre and was the best blues guitarist right up there with the other King’s.
Enjoy!
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on May 17th, 2015. Comment.
Today is a sad day for sure given that news has broken about the death of beloved blues guitar great BB King…certainly one of the top most influential blues guitar players of all time. Today is also bittersweet as we truly reflect on the influence BB has had on music and musicians well beyond Blues living and breathing fire inside the heart and souls of professional and amateur musicians alike.
The blues is about staying true to timing, feeling and evoking emotion above all else including your instrument, effects, scales, location, song choice, etc… like this performance at Sing Sing BB calls one of his best –
The measure of a great musician is when you instantly know who they are within 5s or less of hearing them play – and with BB there was no doubt having invented the soft sweet piercing sound of Lucille, the amazing string bending and vibrato that was vintage BB King.
Today we are seeing the massive influence this one man has had on the musician and fan community – there is no doubt as to his influence and impact.
It’s worth noting as well that BB is one of the last links to the original blues music in the United States – with one leg back in the days of T-Bone Walker (melody and string bending), Blind Lemon, Muddy Waters and a host of other original blues and gospel musicians and the other leg in modern day music creating a “time warp” tunnel that helped keep us all rooted in the revolution that was blues music in the 1940’s and beyond.
Here’s a great lesson from BB for those who want to hear how his influences and how they were put together as ingredients into his sound:
What always amazed me about BB was how he used his first finger to bend strings and then back-ended with his third, this is a “part” of what makes his sound.
I’ve watched BB King live, I’ve studied his various techniques and he is one of the guitarists that I always have in the back of my mind when I’m playing striving for the best note at any given time…that will be with me always as I’m sure it will be with you.
BB King lived his life to the fullest, was lucky enough to tap into a blessed gift having the courage to pursue that gift to its fullest until the very end…the message to us all should be to live up to that standard. R.I.P Riley (aka BB) King – god willing, will see you in the next life in that all-star Jam!
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on May 15th, 2015. Comment.
What a terrific picture of the 3 giants of the blues, each put his unique stamp on the blues, changed music forever and made the world a better place…what more could you ask for?
I wonder what each of these guys thinks (or would think for John Lee and Willie) of today’s music?
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on Aug 29th, 2014. Comment.
I never stop being amazed at the difference BB King has made not only to the world of music, but to the world in general. It’s usually not until someone passes on (and BB is far from that point…) that we learn of the stories of how generous and giving someone has been throughout their life. Yet with BB, we know that he CONSTANTLY puts his energy into helping troubled youth, gives back to his Southern communities and really is THE ambassador for the blues.
Case in point is the BBKing Blues Museum close to where BB was born and in the community (Indianola MS) where music is of course front and center, but so is education about the delta, its people and programs to support creativity and self-confidence. Along the way we get to learn about the inspiring story of how a sharecropper’s son made it from Indianola in the delta to Memphis and then the world. His has never been a story about his own greatness, it is rather about what is possible…what anyone can do to follow in his footsteps when you hang on to hope and optimism over fear and pessimism.
Has there ever been a more important time for such a message?
It seems that BB King’s message is just as important today for the world as it was 60-years ago.
Here’s a quick video on the museum – I know I have it on my top 10 list for travel. If you have visited the BB King museum, let us know your thoughts – leave a comment.
Filed under bb king by on Sep 1st, 2012. Comment.
Dance halls, Juke joints, seedy bars, the local watering hole, larger arenas and intimate theaters – blues music has always been about connecting with the people and pulling them in emotionally in as honest and pure a way as possible.
A top-notch blues shows IS about the performance, but it’s not about the flash, electronics and light show as much as it is about the energy, the passion, and empathy as the performer reaches deep into the heart of their fans and wins them over many times during a performance.
That’s why blues shows are so memorable…that’s exactly how I was hooked when I saw my first Stevie Ray Vaughan show way back in the 1980’s and have been to thousands of blues shows since.
Recently, BB King came back to Indianola for his annual BB King’s Homecoming performance (a community where King used to pick cotton as a youngster) for such an intimate performance where once again blues guitar royalty led the way guiding today’s young artists in the direction of becoming CLOSER to their audience than more distant.
At 86 King is the elder statesman – everything he does, you can be sure, is watched by those who are on the way up in blues music, so these sorts of situations are very important to the future of the blues where the past comes together with the present and guides the future.
King has always worn the ambassador’s role well – knowing that if he can attract the kids and teens not only can he keep them from getting into trouble, giving them an alternative path in life, but also keep the blues alive and well for generations to come.
By all accounts King allowed a young group of 11-14 year old’s (part of a rock ensemble from Clarksdale MS) to come aboard his “home” – his tour bus – to have a chat. Following that intimate encounter, he performed inches from his audience on a grass hill, connecting with his ecstatic audience.
The blues has always been about connecting with the audience…I have met many of my blues mentors at clubs or shows, that wouldn’t happen at today’s rock or pop shows. Intimacy is just another key human value that keeps the blues alive.
Filed under bb king by on Aug 28th, 2012. Comment.
